When will the holdings of King Tutankhamun transfer to its permanent location in the Grand Egyptian Museum?

CAIRO – 14 September 2020: Tutankhamun’s personal artifacts returned safely to Egypt after an international tour that was launched in 2018 with the exhibition “Tutankhamun, Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh.”

During the tour, the precious artifacts were exhibited in Los Angeles [USA], the French capital Paris and the English capital London, achieving unprecedented success in these countries.

Once they returned safely to Egypt, some of the artifacts were temporary displayed in Sharm El- Sheikh and Hurghada museums.

But when will the Pharaoh’s belongings be transferred to the permanent display in the Grand Egyptian Museum?

What happened to the artifacts of Tutankhamun after returning from the international tour?

All the pieces were handed over to the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, in preparation for their transfer to the stores of the Grand Egyptian Museum, except for twenty pieces that were transferred to Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada museums as stated by the Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities.

All the pieces in the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir were unwrapped before being handed over to the Special Committee of the Grand Egyptian Museum, where the packaging will be dismantled to match the report and fingerprint of each piece before being repackaged again in preparation for transferring to the stores of the Grand Egyptian Museum as well as Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh museums (20 pieces), in about a week.

What are the most significant pieces set to be exhibited in Hurghada Museum?

The gilded wooden statue of the deity Ptah is the main piece of the exhibition. The artifacts set to be displayed in Hurghada Museum also include an ushabti statue wearing a golden ferret, a colorful canopy pot lid in the shape of the king's head, an ushabti statue wearing a doodle crown and holding a comet and scepter, an ushabti statue wearing a wig, a cobra made of bronze, a gold necklace, a stopper of colored wood placed inside a trumpet made of silver and another made of gilded silver, a blue faience headrest, Tutankhamun’s chair inlaid with ebony and ivory, the king's bowl that takes the form of an open lotus flower, and a mirror box made of gilded wood and inlaid with glass and agate.

What is the earliest date for the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum?

The Grand Egyptian Museum was initially scheduled to be inaugurated in the end of 2020; however, the COVID-19 pandemic was the main reason for postponing this date to the year 2021. Currently, 96 percent of the total works of the museum is completed. The exact date of the opening is yet to be announced.

How will Tutankhamun’s holdings be displayed in the Grand Egyptian Museum?

Inside the Grand Egyptian Museum, King Tutankhamun’s personal holdings will be displayed in 105 showcases, all in one place for the first time, in the Grand Egyptian Museum. The two halls that are set to be dedicated to the Golden King's holdings span on an area of 7,200 square meters, about seven times the total area of the hall that housed the collection in the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir. 

It is worth mentioning that it took 5-6 years to completely restore the personal holdings of King Tutankhamun.